Rory D. Root, the visionary owner of Berkeley's popular comic book store Comic Relief and a leader of the comic book industry, died after complications from surgery for a ruptured hernia May 19 at the Kaiser Oakland Medical Center, his sister said Saturday.

He was 50 and had been having health problems over the past few years, Karen Root said.

One of the first people to support small-press books, graphic novels and handmade zines, Mr. Root was also a strong advocate for making comics available in school libraries. "Rory just wanted to get books into kids' hands," said Todd Martinez, manager of Comic Relief for the past 14 years.

"He worked tirelessly to sell the gatekeepers at libraries on the idea of comics as books," said Dan Shahin of San Jose's Hijinx Comics. "He was so far ahead of everyone else with that concept."

Born Nov. 8, 1957, in Oakland, where his mother owned an antique store and worked as a nurse at Kaiser, Mr. Root attended school at Rockridge Elementary and Montara Junior High schools. After his father died in 1969, his family moved to West Point (Calaveras County), where he attended Calaveras High School before returning to the East Bay in 1974 to enroll at UC Berkeley. He dropped out shortly before graduating with a computer science degree to become manager of the Gambit, a gaming store on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. From there, he took a staff position at the nearby comic book store, the Best of Two Worlds.

In April 1987, Mr. Root and his former business partner Mike Patchen opened Comic Relief at its original location on University Avenue, just a block away from campus. The store, which offered a diverse selection of comics-related materials, quickly grew into a local hangout and international destination. In 1993, the establishment won the Will Eisner Spirit of Retailing Award, presented by Comic-Con International: San Diego to retailers doing exemplary work in promoting the genre.

"When I wanted to open my store, I sought him out for advice," Shahin said. "I tried to emulate his bookstore approach."

Mr. Root was a fixture at West Coast comic book conventions, where he rallied for industry unification, bought up countless titles by unknown artists, and spoke to his peers about getting their merchandise into local libraries. He was one of the first to distribute graphic novels by the likes of Will Eisner, Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman.

"He thought everybody should have a fighting chance to get published," Karen Root said.

When Comic Relief encountered difficulties with its landlord in 2004, customers rallied behind Mr. Root. Author Warren Ellis scheduled a signing at the store, and fans bought out most of the store's old stock. They also helped move his merchandise into its current, larger location around the corner on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley.

"As much as he loved to talk, he listened just as well," Martinez said. "He always found the right book for the right person."

In recent years, weight-related health problems kept Mr. Root from spending as much time at Comic Relief as he liked. Mr. Root, a longtime smoker, finally quit eight months ago.

"The very day he went into the hospital, he met a friend for lunch at the store," Martinez said. "He was also here for all 10 hours of Free Comic Book Day (May 3) talking to people, his favorite thing."

Many people believe Mr. Root served as the inspiration for the Comic Book Guy on "The Simpsons." Matt Groening, the creator of the long-running animated television series and frequent visitor of Comic Relief, could not be reached for comment.

Unlike the cantankerous character portrayed on "The Simpsons," Mr. Root was known for the personal attention he gave his customers and peers, as evidenced by the lengthy emotional messages that have appeared online since his death.

"He was the center of this enormous community," said longtime friend Rebekah Denn, a columnist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "I hope he knew at some level how respected he was."